A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cosmetic coverage of fixed orthodontic hardware and particularly to a veneer having the contour, shape and color of a tooth which is detachably secured to orthodontic appliances.
B. Background Art
Orthodontic hardware which corrects the position of teeth is often considered unattractive by patients. Efforts have been made to minimize the noticeability of this hardware. These efforts have included a development of clear and tooth-colored plastic brackets together with development of adhesive for attaching the brackets to teeth. However plastic brackets do not have the strength of metal brackets and often fail during use. Porcelain brackets have also been developed. However, procelain brackets stain and have been proven to be unesthetic, bulky and lacking the strength of metal brackets (U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,206 issued Mar. 30, 1982 to James M. Reynolds).
Another method employed to minimize the noticeability of orthodontic hardware was applying a colored coating of material direct to an appliance. However, such a coating is subject to chipping and peeling during normal use. These methods are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,912 issued Jan. 1, 1980, to Peter C. Kesling, titled Orthodontic Light Wire Appliance. This patent is incorporated herewith by reference.
A further effort to overcome the problem of noticeability of orthodontic hardware such as metal brackets involved nearly completely hiding the surfaces of the bracket that would normally be visible. In this effort a body of tooth-colored plastic material was structured for mounting onto the metal bracket. However this covering was not large enough to cover the entire tooth and hardware. Furthermore, this covering lacked the mechanical strength to withstand repeated mounting and demounting by the patient. It required a dentist in order to be secured and detached. Such a covering is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,192.
A device for camouflaging orthodontic hardware was reported in Hamilton, "Santa With Braces?", Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, December 1977. The device was a bicuspid-to-bicuspid acrylic tooth veneer which was fabricated from a plaster model made from impressions which were taken with the appliances in place. This device consisted of a "denture" covering the teeth not only from the facial surface, but also the lingual surface along with a portion of the plate. Moreover, the device was purely cosmetic and was otherwise non-functional. For example, it was not adapted to remain attached for all functional activities and more importantly it was not designed to accommodate orthodontic movement. If the patient's teeth moved, a new model was required in order for the device to fit properly.
Other patents found in a search at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office which relate to the field of the present invention but which are felt to be less relevant include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,206 which teaches an orthodontic appliance which may be made from a material whose color may be coordinated with that of a tooth but does not cover the entire tooth in a manner adapted to camouflage orthodontic hardware; U.S. Pat. No. 3,975,824 which is directed to orthodontic brackets whose noticeability is minimized using an appropriate material and color; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,593 which is directed to a wire supporting mechanism for orthodontic purposes.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a detachably secured cosmetic orthodontic device which covers the entire bracket, the wire, and the entire tooth and is configured like a tooth to minimize the noticeability of the orthodontic appliance.
A further object is to provide a cosmetic orthodontic device having the physical strength to withstand mounting and demounting by the patient.
A further object is to allow orthodontic movement to proceed while the cosmetic orthodontic device covers the hardware and tooth without redesign of the cosmetic device.
An additional object is to provide a cosmetic orthodontic device which does not have a deleterious effect on the gingiva and the tissues of the oral cavity.
A final objective is to allow the patient to maintain good oral hygiene and to keep the cosmetic device clean while allowing the device to remain attached during chewing.